Gowanda/PV ‘Family’ full of inspiration in the face of loss | News, sports, jobs

Many high school teams break up their groups with words before or after games, but how many truly consider their teams as a family?

On Saturday at the Jack Keeney Memorial Field in Panama, the Gowanda/Pine Valley football team was truly a family.

And Brett Ebling needed every member of that family.

The Panthers’ third-year head coach arrived five minutes before kickoff after saying goodbye to his father during his funeral service at St. Johns Community Church in Eden on Saturday morning.

Brett Ebling is pictured on the Gowanda/Pine Valley sideline on Saturday.

“It means so much. Family is obviously very important to me right now, and these guys are my family,” said an emotional Ebling after the Panthers’ 51-24 loss. “…We may be a team, but we are a family.”

Stephen “Steve” Ebling, a Thruway maintenance supervisor, was killed Monday morning while working along Interstate 90 near Hanover. He left behind a wife, Belindie; two sons, Brett and Joel; his mother, Sharon; and four siblings.

“This was, I’m not going to lie, the worst week ever,” said Ebling. “But at the same time, the amount of support I’ve had from the Gowanda community is unreal. I thank everyone from the Gowanda community, the team… everyone.”

According to his obituary, Steve enjoyed attending his son’s football games in Gowanda/Pine Valley. He certainly enjoyed the first half Saturday in Panama.

Gowanda/Pine Valley looked like it was headed for a monumental upset of the New York State Sportswriters Association’s top-ranked team in Class D.

A blocked punt by Camryn Slade gave the Panthers their first drive start at their own 45-yard line and 10 plays later, quarterback Carter Capozzi threw a 32-yard touchdown to Brayden Smith for a 6-0 lead.

In the second quarter, a 12-yard touchdown pass from Capozzi to Winter Mentley-Peters set off a crazy chain of events. On Clymer/Sherman/Panama’s next play from scrimmage, Mentley-Peters intercepted a Tate Catanese pass and returned it 38 yards for a score, giving Gowanda/Pine Valley an 18-7 lead.

The Wolfpack then fumbled the ensuing kickoff and the Panthers’ Jayden Fish recovered at the 17-yard line. But Gowanda/Pine Valley’s fortunes began to turn from there and the Panthers’ halftime lead was just 24-22.

“I’m at a loss for words about how impressed I am, not only with their efforts on the field, but with Coach Ebling as a person for everything he has had to endure this week,” Clymer/Sherman/Panama head coach Ty Harper said. “There are things that are certainly much bigger than football. I can’t imagine how many emotions he felt today. For his team to be so ready to play was one of the most impressive things I’ve ever seen.”

Clymer/Sherman/Panama played more like the No. 1 team in the state in the second half, outscoring Gowanda/Pine Valley 29-0 to win.

As the Panthers gathered for their postgame meeting, tears filled the eyes of most players and coaches. That’s common after the last game of a season, especially when seniors play what could be their last game of organized football.

But the tears shed Saturday felt like they were more meaningful as the Panthers, even several of Gowanda’s surrounding communities, felt the loss of Brett’s father.

“I know I can lean on these kids when I need them, and they can lean on me too.” said Ebling. “That’s how a family works.

“My father was my everything. My father was my role model,” Ebling added. ‘…He means the absolute world to me. Without him I wouldn’t be who I am today.”